From I Know What You Did Last Summer to Washington Black: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead

The Guardian

5 days ago

I Know What You Did Last SummerOut now
Alongside the superior Scream, the original I Know What You Did Last Summer embodied the late 20th-century quippy slasher movement. In an era defined by new takes on old IPs, it's perhaps surprising it's taken so long to get around to a reboot of this one, but it's here now, and it's a sequel, with Freddie Prinze Jr and Jennifer Love Hewitt reprising their roles.
HarvestOut now
This dark historical drama, which premiered at the Venice film festival, is the English-language debut of the well-regarded Greek director Athina Rachel Tsangari, and is an adaptation of the Jim Crace novel. Set in an ambiguous preindustrial time period, a juicy ensemble cast (Harry Melling, Caleb Landry-Jones, Rosy McEwen) contend with universal themes: the march of progress, harmful traditions and the scapegoating of the outsider.
FriendshipOut now
Paul Rudd plays Austin, a charismatic weatherman who moves to a new neighbourhood and is initially open to a new friendship with Tim Robinson's misfit marketing executive Craig. Those familiar with Robinson's oeuvre will know that the path of true bromance n'er did run straight, with the escalating awkwardness and discomfort in this cringe comedy about male loneliness.
Human Traffic 4K restorationOut now
Nice one bruvva! The quintessential 90s night out in Cardiff starring a baby-faced John Simm returns to the big screen in the sort of glorious 4K restoration too often reserved for the kind of films that don't feature a young Danny Dyer AKA 'pill monster' Moff getting caught masturbating by his mum. Catherine Bray
Judas Priest & Alice CooperScarborough (Judas Priest only), 23 July; London, 25 July
London's O2 arena descends into darkness, augmented by dry ice and pyro, as the rock and metal legends co-headline a one-off spectacular. Two days prior, Birmingham heavy metallers Judas Priest also head to Scarborough with guests Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons. Michael Cragg
LatitudeHenham Park, Suffolk, 24 to 27 July
Even if you're not a fan of headliners Sting, Fatboy Slim and Snow Patrol, there's plenty to enjoy further down the bill at this East Anglia festival. French band Air, a returning Sigrid and a raucous Lambrini Girls, for example, plus a stellar comedy lineup. MC
Soweto KinchFire Station, Sunderland, 24 July
Dynamic UK saxophonist, rapper and radio presenter Soweto Kinch hosts a special BBC Proms edition of his Round Midnight Radio 3 show, with guests including genre-bridging and Grammy-nominated American trumpeter Theo Croker and vivaciously skilful UK pianist Joe Webb, the latter celebrating the centenary of piano giant Oscar Peterson. John Fordham
BBC Philharmonic premieresRoyal Albert Hall, London, 21 and 22 July
Significant new works look thin on the ground in this summer's Proms, but two of the most promising come in the BBC Philharmonic's first pair of concerts. John Storgårds conducts tenor Allan Clayton in Tom Coult's Monologues for the Curious, while the next night Sean Shibe is the soloist in Mark Simpson's guitar concerto, ZEBRA (or 2-3-74: The Divine Invasion of Philip K Dick). Andrew Clements
SpaceNatural History Museum, London to 22 February 2026
This accessible, interactive and fact-filled show is fun for all ages. It looks at how science is closing in on extraterrestrial life, taking you from the deserts of Mars to the icy moons of the gas giants, and beyond the solar system to see how life may exist orbiting remote stars.
Folkestone TriennialVarious venues, Folkestone, 19 July to 19 October
This contemporary art festival sees venues – which range from genteel civic gardens to the atmospheric port with its decaying concrete ferry terminal – taken over by ambitious, often provocative installations. Dadaist mayhem-maker Monster Chetwynd stars along with Cooking Sections, Dorothy Cross, Katie Paterson and more, all exploring landscape and deep time.
Sculpture in the CityVarious public sites, City of London, to spring 2026
Ai Weiwei and Jane and Louise Wilson are among the artists unveiling new public sculptures in this annual free event that leads you on an intriguing walk through the City of London's jumble of ancient and modern buildings. There are also works by Julian Opie, Elisa Artesero and Daniel Silver.
Louise Bourgeois, Robert Mapplethorpe, Helen ChadwickModern One, Edinburgh, to 2026
Three artists who investigated the body and desire are celebrated by the Artist Rooms collection, whose excellent holdings guarantee insight. Bourgeois carried the surrealist imagination into this century while Mapplethorpe pioneered the art of shock with his stunningly sensual monochrome photographs and Chadwick brought new organic truth to British art. Jonathan Jones
St Albans Comedy GardenVerulamium Park, 24 to 27 July
If you can't find anyone to your taste at this household name-packed four-dayer, standup might not be for you after all. Highlights include observational maestro Phil Wang, harried mum-era Sara Pascoe, inimitable absurdist Sam Campbell, apologetic old Etonian Ivo Graham and the bluntly witty Fern Brady. Rachel Aroesti Rachel Aroesti
Scottish Dance Theatre: Pirates!His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen, 19 & 20 July
This family show is a lot of fun: warm, engaging and silly, it's the story of a daydreaming ship assistant whisked away by a ragtag bunch of pirates for an adventure on the high seas, featuring zombies, strange sea creatures, acrobatics and funny squelchy noises. Lyndsey Winship
Inter AliaNational Theatre, London, to 13 September
A searing new play from writer Suzie Miller, who penned Prima Facie – a huge hit for Jodie Comer. It's about a maverick crown court judge whose life is unravelling, played by Rosamund Pike. Miriam Gillinson
The Railway ChildrenKeighley and Worth Valley Railway, to 7 September
Mike Kenny's Olivier-winning stage adaptation has been reworked for Bradford 2025 City of Culture. Audiences will be taken by steam train on an immersive soundscape journey before watching the show in an auditorium built at Oxenhope station. MG
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Washington BlackDisney+, Wednesday 23 July
Esi Edugyan's historical novel becomes an epic TV adventure, taking our titular hero from slavery on a sugar plantation in Barbados to a new start in Nova Scotia, partly via hot air balloon. Sterling K Brown leads a predominantly British cast including Tom Ellis, Charles Dance, Julian Rhind-Tutt and Sharon Duncan-Brewster.
UnforgivableiPlayer/BBC Two, Thursday 24 July, 9pm
Ever since his 2006 anthology series The Street, screenwriter Jimmy McGovern has been synonymous with stories about the troubling underbelly of ordinary British life – and this new drama about grooming and abuse within a family unit may well be his most distressing yet. Anna Friel, Anna Maxwell Martin and David Threlfall star.
The Narrow Road to the Deep NorthiPlayer/BBC One, Sunday 20 July, 9.15pm
The BBC has been buying in Australian TV at a rate of knots, but tThis adaptation of Richard Flanagan's Booker-winning novel is clearly a cut above. Jacob Elordi is Dorrigo, who falls in love with his uncle's wife before becoming a prisoner of war; Ciarán Hinds plays his older self, a celebrated surgeon entangled in another affair.
HitmakersNetflix, Thursday 24 July
This new series reality-gamifies songwriting camps – the backbone of the 21st-century pop music biz – by getting the brains behind songs sung by some of the planet's biggest stars to compete, writing tracks for John Legend, Shaboozey and Blackpink's Lisa. Expect equal parts musical insight and unhinged interpersonal drama. RA
Wheel WorldOut Wednesday; PS4/5, PC, Xbox
Like a futuristic Forza Horizon for cyclists, this open-world racing game has you pedalling around an eye-catching cel-shaded world on a fully customisable ride, taking on races to a soundtrack comprised of chill beats.
FretlessOut now; PC/Mac
A pixel-art adventure game about a lone musician out to save the world from a demonic record executive, who has used dark magic to ensnare all the world's bands with soul-stealing contracts. Each new riff you learn helps tear through monsters and win people to your cause.Keza Macdonald
Jade Bird – Who Wants to Talk About Love?Out now
Bird, and follow up to last year's Mura Masa-produced stopgap EP was inspired on this third album by the breakdown of her relationship with her former fiancee (and bandmate). On songs such as Who Wants and Dreams, heartbreak is laid bare over folksy arrangements that highlight her weather-worn voice.
Alex G – Headlights Out now
American indie rock experimentalist Alex Giannascoli returns, three years after the critically acclaimed God Save the Animals, with this first major-label album. On lead single Afterlife he makes the mandolin sound cool, while opener June Guitar is built around a wheezing accordion solo.
Alex Warren – You'll Be Alright, Kid Out now
Retired influencer turned earnest troubadour Alex Warren adds 10 tracks to last year's EP of the same name to create this debut album. Featuring blustery acoustic collaborations with Jelly Roll and Rosé, its calling card is the loved-up anthem Ordinary, a recent US and UK chart-topper.
Fletcher – Would You Still Love Me If You Really Knew Me? Out now
On Boy, the first single from her third album, queer singer-songwriter Cari Fletcher has a confession: 'I kissed a boy / And I know it's not what you wanted to hear,' she sings delicately, like a stripped back, reverse I Kissed a Girl, ushering in a transitional record for the 31-year-old. MC
Rāgas and Redemption25 July, BBC World Service
Alam Khan, son of sarod virtuoso and Ravi Shankar collaborator Ali Akhbar Khan, has a weighty legacy to carry. This intimate documentary uncovers his complex relationship with Indian classical music since his father's death in 2009.
AI & UsPodcast
Actor Stephen McGann's series on the future of AI and its uses is informative as well as concerning. From influencing our choices of housing to intervening in mental health care, we explore how embedded AI has already become.
New Economic ThinkingYouTube
The Institute of New Economic Thinking's YouTube channel is full of slick and engaging explainers even the most numerically illiterate will be able to follow. Experts delve into the racial wealth gap, global debt and more. Ammar Kalia